Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
The Connecticut Foundation for Open Government (CFOG) is pleased to announce that a team of reporters from Hearst Connecticut Media Group, a Connecticut town clerk and a resident of East Haven have been selected to receive the third annual Mitchell W. Pearlman Freedom of Information Award.
The award honors government officials, journalists or residents of Connecticut who have made significant efforts to foster transparency in government, disclose information vital to the public and ensure that state residents can see their government at work. The journalists being honored at a reception in Hartford on Oct. 16 are Hearst reporters Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, Joshua Eaton and Brian Lockhart for their illuminating three-part series in 2023 that exposed the city of Bridgeport’s repeated violations of the state’s public records law. They found that in the past decade, the state Freedom of Information Commission had cited Bridgeport for violations 34 times and had received 253 complaints against the city.
Joshua Eaton
In nominating the team, Matt Rocheleau, Hearst Connecticut’s data editor, said Bridgeport had developed “a notorious reputation for thumbing its nose at transparency by routinely stonewalling and delaying turning over even the most basic public records.” Within hours of the series being published, Mayor Joe Ganim announced a series of reforms to address the problems highlighted in the series. The state legislature also responded by giving more support and enforcement tools to the FOI Commission, he said.
“It was the first major update to strengthen the state’s FOIA law in nearly 40 years,” Rocheleau said.
The public official being honored is Berlin Town Clerk Kate Wall. She stood out among other nominees for her commitment to open government while serving three towns for more than 30 years as a deputy town clerk or town clerk. A lifelong resident of Wallingford, Wall is a former president of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association who has also held leadership positions in regional and international clerk associations. In nominating Wall, Windham Town Clerk Patricia Spruance, who is president of the Connecticut association, said that Wall models what she teaches to other clerks.
Brian Lockhartother clerks.
“Kate has encouraged fellow clerks to reach beyond their limitations and to always serve the public with openness and transparency,’’ Spruance said. “Kate is a champion of open and truthful government in her own town as well as in leadership positions within the organizations she has been a part of.”
Wall, the town clerk in Berlin since 2002, was named Connecticut “Town Clerk of the Year” in 2007 by the statewide clerks association.
In the general public category, CFOG is honoring community volunteer Lorena Venegas for her many years of activism in East Haven on environmental justice, FOI and zoning issues. In nominating Venegas, Lisa Smythe said Venegas has used the FOI Act to access local government finance and zoning information to fight for change. She regularly makes information available to residents in both English and Spanish.
Lorena Venega
She has also used the federal FOI Act to seek documents from the Federal Aviation Administration as she has sought environmental protections near Tweed New Haven Airport, Smythe said.
As a member of the board of trustees at the Hagaman Memorial Library in East Haven, Venegas has hosted state FOI officials to educate the public on how they can gain documents from their government.
“Her focus on educating her community about environmental ramifications of overdevelopment…has been used as a model to teach citizenry on how each person can make local change happen,” Smythe said.
Venegas runs several Facebook pages, including Keep Tweed Small and East Haven Politics, which according to the New Haven Register, provides residents a place to discuss local issues. She is also a co-founder of Moms United in East Haven/Mamas Unidas de East Haven, which helps mothers to understand special education laws, the Register reported.
The winners will be honored at a reception on Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Mark Twain House & Museum at 351 Farmington Ave. in Hartford. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/5n7c7b37 or by mailing a check with the number of desired tickets to Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, 35 Bunker Hill Road, Glastonbury, CT 06033. The event will feature complimentary hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and soda. The award honors Pearlman, the founding executive director of Connecticut’s FOI Commission, who is recognized as an international expert on government transparency, privacy and data protection and freedom of the press.
Kate Wall
Kate Farrish, CFOG’s president and an assistant professor of journalism at Central Connecticut State University, said the winners were selected by a committee of CFOG board members from an impressive list of people nominated by Connecticut newsroom leaders, activists, officials, journalists and residents.
“Our winners stood out for their perseverance, their many years of dedication to government transparency and their use of the FOI Act to inform the public of matters of crucial importance in a democracy,’’ she said.
Farrish thanked the Pearlman Award Committee, co-chairs Denis Horgan and Christopher Henderson, former co-chair David Fink and members Len Besthoff, Izaskun Larrañeta, Arielle Levin Becker, Matthew Kauffman, Leslie Mayes and Colleen Murphy, for their hard work in honoring those who are following the legacy of Mitchell W. Pearlman.
BUY TICKETS
Mitchell W. Pearlman Freedom of Information Award Reception
Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Mark Twain House & Museum
351 Farmington Ave, Hartford